You Owe Me
by Vicious-Ner
Summary: Marceline the Vampire Queen is cool as a cucumber, never one to really see slipping. However, what happens when her tortured past won't seem to leave her in peace? Better yet, what happens when a seemingly happy reunion, turns deadly? First story and no romance in sight guys, sorry.
1. Chapter 1

A rustling, all that you could hear. Finn had awoken in the middle of the night having heard unfamiliar sounds in the treehouse. He glanced over to Jake; soundly sleeping. "Hmm", Finn was perplexed. He made as if to spring out of bed when a small yellow-furred hand was placed firmly on his chest. Was Jake up? "I heard it too bro. Whatevs it may be, best not make too much noise. Sneak attack man." Finn nodded, good to have an older brother around. Hero or not, he was one to rush. They slowly slipped out of bed and walked to the ladder leading downstairs. Whoever was there seemed to be at the bottom, contemplating going up. Standing on opposite ends of the ladder's hole they held up fingers, counting down to one. Three, Finn was nervous. Two, who would even think to break into THEIR home? ONE! They launched, the figure slumped to the ground. A faint hissing could be heard, almost snake like. "Whattaya doing in our treehouse", Finn yelled. "Yeah, this be our home," Jake held the intruder, firmly wrapping it in his arms as he stretch his free hand towards a light switch. The sudden light was blinding yet it soon revealed who the intruder was, so shocking that the pair had to announce it in unison. "Marceline?!"

"Yes, you dweebs it's me!", she quickly found her strength and shoved the brothers off. "I didn't want to wake you guys just so I could crash." Her irritation at being suprised swiftly faded into a sly grin, "I usually don't." Finn blushed but held his composure. Why did the Vampire Queen need a place to crash? She took whatever it was she desired, at any given time. "Um, Marcy-", "Look guys, it's almost sun-up and I'm exhausted. No time for witty quips, let' just talk tomorrow night" She floated towards the bedroom with uncharacteristic clumsiness. Finn almost followed her, that is until he heard the familiar sizzle of bacon in a pan. "Makin' pancakes -yawn-, makin' bac...zzzzzzz," Jake was falling asleep at the stove. Finn walked towards the kitchen to ensure that his best friend didn't fry to death. He caught a glimpse of the sky, she was right, almost sun-up. Coming there at this time must have been risky for the Vampire Queen. Something was wrong, but Finn would have to wait until night fall to find out just what.

He had almost forgotten, almost. That was until she came downstairs, asking for- no, demanding shades of red. A few strawberries, an apple, and some jam that was left a nice shade of blue (it was purple beforehand). She seemed satisfied enough to coax into talking. "Yo Marcy, what was with last night," Jake was forward with his questioning. It was all too bizarre, Finn was glad he wasn't pussyfooting around. She sighed and looked so much older in that moment. "You know, there are a thousand things I could say. A million lies I could tell right now. I'm old guys, a thousand years, but somehow I'm scared." There was a silence thick enough to cut and bleed out dry. "For days now, DAYS, I've been smelling her. Almost as if she's here to haunt me until I drive myself insane." The two brothers exchanged glances. What was she talking about? Marceline never hung out with other women, there was actually very little known about her past. Fear on her face was just as unfamiliar. Was she feeling lonely, rejected, judged? She was never this open, why now? Was this about Bubblegum? Finn felt it his duty to reassure his friend. "Marcie, what are you takling about about," he was thoroughly confused. "You're a radical dame!You can kick massive butt, shapeshift! A regular beast!" "Yea Marcie, radical heh-heh," Jake joined in on his brother's pep talk. They dance around the kitchen when suddenly Jake stopped cold. Finn soon followed suit, turning towards the vampire queen and realizing her face was bright red. Was she embarrassed? "Uhh, Marceline," Jake stepped forward, "You okay?" BAM, her fist struck the table, her breath coming in short burst, as if she hadn't been breathing. The brother saw a look about her eyes, she didn't look entirely sane in that moment. "A BEAST?!," she roared the words out, burning hot with the feeling of something unspoken of in years.

Her form began to shift, hide bristling, eyes aflame, her voice melted away losing its melodic quality. Demonic. "I'm a beast huh?! Always just a beast with no sort of room for emotion," flinging the table to the side she pounded her fist against the walls of the kitchen, tearing an only just happy home asunder. "I can't have any sort of issue because I am a monster! I used to have friends, I used to have a family! That can ALWAYS come crashing back into your world, tormenting you! Even hundreds of years later the memories will let you know what you can NEVER have back," her chest heaved violently, and in that moment, since their first meeting, Finn was terrified of her. He looked down and realized Jake had positioned himself in front of him. Hair on end, shaking from fear, his brother stood growling, foaming slightly at the mouth. The only solace Finn had grabbed from the situation was that Marceline seemed to be rapidly tiring out. She huffed and griitted her teeth, but thankfully she shrank back down, normal once again. "They say scent is -huff- is the strongest sense -huff- linked to memory," the vampire was still shaking but seemed to have regained some control. "I can smell her everywhere, it's like someone's trying to drive me off the edge. Why guys? Why was I the only one who survi-", ARF! She had taken a small stepped forward, both her and Finn realizing that, while she calmed down, Jake hadn't. They both jerked back. He lundged at her, barely missing her legs and growing bigger himself by the second. She looked around at the kitchen, seemingly noticing the destruction for the first time.

The next three minutes were a flash in Finn"s mind. Jake snarling, rabid-like, charging at the vampire queen. Her dodging clumsily, kncking down what litle dishes and trinket were left in the cabinets and counter tops. Finn grappling with his brother, somehow knowing Marceline was no real threat. Then him calling her name as she flew out the window as fast as her body would allow.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been almost a month since the incident, and both brothers had thought it best to let things cool down for a bit. The whole thing had thrown Jake into a bit of a tizzy. He was more alert, a lot easier to startle and get on edge. It seemed to Finn that everywhere he went he heard whispers of his friend. Then again, he was never one for listening to groundless rumors. Still, if Marceline was capable of causing such a scene at his home, what stopped her from doing it elsewhere? As the days of absence turned into weeks, the rumors began to resemble truth.  
"Have you heard? The Vampire Queen has been out trashing Ne'er do well Bars . Again!"  
"I hear she's been giving the Party God a run for his money. I could never drink that much candy liquor."  
"Well rumor has it last time she visited Wildberry Kingdom, half the silverware went MISSING!"  
"Oh lord! Well, all I know is.. "  
The insinuations, notions, passing comments, and snippets of conversation were driving Finn insane! No matter what Marceline was going through, surely these couldn't be her recent pass times. At the end of the day, Finn shrugged it all off. Loose lips and shifty eyes never make for a good pair, not when collecting information.

A cold sweat, a heavy heart, and a nightmare. A familiar voice echoed through Finn's mind. A harrowing laugh and her, Marceline, burning in a pit. The laughter spewed from a large mouth. A man's, with a shameless, yet ignorant heart. Then a woman, who was she? A friend, a friend of Marcy's. Why? She was laughing too. No, no not laughing. She was crying. Face twisted into a horrid sneer, tears streaming down her cheeks. Screams, louder than the hero had ever heard. A tortured, anguished scream. No fear, no pain; a lonely, dying animal. Snapped awake.  
The young hero had had the same dream for three nights in a row. This wasn't paranoia over a missing friend, this was an omen. He slid out of his furs and made his way over to Jake's bed. "Hey Jake, wake up," he was hoping not to startle the dog too much. "Hmm?! Who is it," no such luck, his best friend was frightened. Still, he was aware of who had roused him and made no move to go on the defensive. "Hey man, I know you're still sorta worked up about the other night but-," he was interrupted. "It's okay man. The dream again huh?" Finn nodded. "Yea, I didn't wanna say nuttin', but I've been getting the spooks about her too lately," Jake paused and seemed to really be considering his next few words. He shuddered slightly at a though and continued. "We should go looking for her."  
They scoured every edge of the Candy Kingdom. For once a slew of behind the back whispering seemed to hold some truth. With every failure at finding her, there turned up some clue as to her having been there. The Ne'er Do Well bars had her banned, criminals jumped in fear at her name, the Party God winced in turn, the Wildberry Kingdom wouldn't even open their doors! The Vampire Queen was most certainly having her bit of fun. Even after having followed her trail for days ( and following some of the most ridiculous rumors at that), they didn't seem any closer to finding her. The two were drained, weary at the thought that they weren't any closer to completing their mission. "Dude, she's not here at all. What...what if she's.."- "She's not dead Jake!" Finn was beet red, there was no way, no matter how erratic her behavior, that Marceline could be dead. "Look brother, even after what happened she's still my friend too. I don't wanna admit that people can croak either, but we haven't found her and it's been DAYS." The younger of the siblings hung his head and silently let a few tears escape. "We've been everywhere Jake, even the Nightosphere. Why can't we track her down? Where the heck else could she be? There's no where else, no whe-" A thought had struck and silent realization had struck the pair at once. They hadn't checked everywhere. In different circumstances the two might have laughed at the irony. The last place you check is often the most obvious, an answer so simple that you dismiss it as too easy. However, this wasn't the time for laughing, this was the time for searching the one place to have stupidly passed through both of their minds, Marcy's home.

It all happened at a slower pace of time. In later years Finn would remember that night as if it were a dream. Almost poetic in its drama, the struggle was quick and all that Finn could hear was the thumping of his own heart. The shower of wooden splinters as the burst through her door, the murky shadows and the air, thick with body odor. An emaciated figure emerging from seemingly nowhere. Jake grabbed at her, she dodged him, fin rushed towards her and she tripped, all of this resembling a dance in the hero's eyes. She made it to the door, looking back at the two with swollen eyes, dirty hair in her face. Had she been running with no thought of the brother she would have seen the young woman standingon the edge of her porch. They collided and at once time seemed to be catching up. Everything seemed to zoom before his eyes making Finn dizzy and as the sound returned, Marceline's sob where sharp almost deafening to Finn's ears.

"Ana! Ana, you're alive! It wasn't dreams...it *hic* was..YOU"RE HERE!" As the images in his head began to flow into normal time, Finn was faced with the image of Marceline gripping the intruder. A young woman about her ages, short dark hair, slightly tanned and not in the least suprised by the vampire's behavior, hugged her back. The young hero stepped forward, but was held back by Jake. The yellow dog nodded in the negative and although he made no move to leave, slowly backed away towards the the doorway. "For days now, DAYS, I've been smelling her." The words rung in his mind, a whisper of a previous conversation. Had this girl been the source of the queen's misery, the reason for her tears?


End file.
